VocabuoDictionaryGet the app
nounadjective

la nouvelle

news · short story

C'est un texte court qui raconte une histoire avec peu de personnages et une situation simple.

Definition & meaning

Nouvelle has several meanings:

  • New: the feminine singular form of the adjective nouveau. It can describe something recent, unfamiliar, or different from what came before.
  • A piece of news: a feminine noun referring to information about a recent event. In the plural, it can also mean news in general.
  • A short story: a feminine noun for a short work of fiction.
  • A new one: a feminine pronoun replacing a previously mentioned noun.

Grammar & Word origin

As an adjective, nouvelle agrees with a feminine singular noun. Its masculine form is nouveau ; the plural forms are nouvelles and nouveaux .

The word ultimately comes from Latin novellus, meaning “new” or “young.”

Synonyms & antonyms

For the adjective meaning new:

  • récent — “recent”; emphasizes how little time has passed.
  • ancien — “old” or “former”; contrasts with something new.

For the noun meaning a piece of news:

  • information — “information”; broader and not necessarily recent.

For the literary meaning short story:

  • récit — “narrative” or “account”; broader and not necessarily short or fictional.

Common phrases & collocations

  • une bonne nouvelle — good news
  • une mauvaise nouvelle — bad news
  • une nouvelle idée — a new idea
  • donner des nouvelles — to give an update or let someone know how one is doing
  • une nouvelle littéraire — a literary short story

Make “nouvelle” part of your vocabulary.

Build your French vocabulary with flashcards, audio and spaced repetition.

Get Vocabuo on the App StoreGet Vocabuo for Android

Examples

Elle a partagé une bonne nouvelle aujourd'hui.noun

She shared good news today.

Nous avons entendu une nouvelle intéressante.noun

We heard an interesting news.

Peux-tu répéter la nouvelle, s’il te plaît ?noun

Can you repeat the news, please?

Il a écrit une nouvelle inspirée de ses voyages.noun

He wrote a short story inspired by his travels.

Keep exploring French

Learn words from the content you love.

Add words from websites, books and videos, then remember them with spaced repetition (SRS).

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play